BAHAWALPUR, RAHIM YAR KHAN: Eighteen poachers, including some influential people from Balochistan, allegedly tortured wildlife officials, tore their clothes, held a district officer hostage and damaged the official vehicle in the vicinity of Kakri water pond near Nawankot in Cholistan desert, about 70km from here.

Wildlife Inspector Allah Nawaz, in his complaint to the Derawar police station, said the armed poachers, including Asif Amin, Younas, Imran, Rana Godha and Abdul Waheed, tortured him as well as other wildlife officials, namely Ashraf and Abid Ali, tore their clothes, attacked them with knives and burst the tyres of their official vehicle. He alleged that while fleeing, the poachers held hostage Rahim Yar Khan District Officer Mujahid Kaleem, the leader of the wildlife raiding party, but set him free some kilometres away.

According to Bahawalpur Wildlife Deputy Director Anwar Mann some of the armed poachers belonged to Balochistan and Rahim Yar Khan and they were riding SUVs. He said the hunting season had set in and the department had stepped up its campaign against the illegal hunters who entered the Cholistan desert from various entry points. Derawar police registered a case against 18 poachers.

Talking to Dawn, Rahim Yar Khan Wildlife DO Mujahid Kaleem said he was patrolling with his staff in an official vehicle when the wildlife staff of a check post informed him by phone that four vehicles were coming with illegally hunted Chinkara deer and partridges on the Gopala track.

When they reached near Kakri, about 18 poachers opened fire on them. He said the poachers started beating Wildlife Inspector Allah Nawaz, watcher Muhammad Ashraf and guide Abid Ali.

He alleged the poachers kept him hostage in their SUV which had the official number plate (BD-017) for half an hour.

Mr Kaleem said some of the hunters were later identified as owner of Café Lamis Asif Amin, arms dealer Younas, car showroom owner Waheed, Imran Kamboh and Rana Godha but 13 others could not be identified. He claimed that the suspects included a high profile officials from Balochistan. He alleged that Asif Amin issued him death threats too.

When contacted, Café Lamis chief executive officer Asad Amin, the elder brother a suspect Asif Amin, told this correspondent that some high profile personalities of Balochistan were his guests on their visit to Cholistan desert. He claimed that he had informed the district police about the movement of the guests.

He alleged that when his guests were just visiting Cholistan, Wildlife DO Mujahid Kaleem tried to arrest them. However, he apologised when he came to know about their identity. Asad alleged that a false case had been registered against his guests as they were not poaching deer or partridges.

Rahim Yar Khan DPO’s spokesman, Umer Salim, said the police had not received any information about the high profile personalities Balochistan visiting the Cholistan desert.

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2017